Loyalty Lies with Hearth and Home
by backstagespotlight
Summary: No one expected this to be the surprise Danny's parents told them about. What does it mean for our favorite family? Number Three in the Home, Sweet Home series. Dantana. I only own the kids.
1. Chapter 1

"Daddy! Daddy! Look at me!" Fina called across the playground. She took a running start then leapt onto the low balance beam, performing a precise cartwheel on the metal bar. For a five year old, she was extremely active and skilled, not just at gymnastics, but martial arts as well. She'd taken classes since she was three and she saw her big brother taking them. Gio had dropped out after a year, but Fina had stuck with the training and was now quite capable. The gymnastics classes had been her sensei's idea as a way to increase her strength and flexibility. She'd taken to those like a fish to water as well.

"Good job, Angel Girl!" Danny called back. He smiled over to were Lindsay was giving their youngest, three month old Anna Donelle, a bottle.

"Where'd she get that talent from?" he asked. Lindsay shook her head.

"It's not my side of the family," she said, "that's for sure. Alex is eating sand again." Danny rolled his eyes and darted off to the sand box to stop his fifteen month old.

"Alexis Grace, we don't eat sand," he said, "Yuck."

"Uck," she imitated, making a face. She turned to her mirror image beside her, "Uck, Ainen, uck."

Aiden laughed at her twin sister. It was amazing to Danny how the two girls who looked so much alike were developing their own little personalities already. Alex was a goofball, always going for the laugh. She was always moving and always testing the limits, while Aiden was quieter, most observant and a sweetheart. It wasn't that she didn't like to explore or discover things, she just liked to watch. Aiden reminded Danny of Fina at that age, her big eyes always watching everything around, taking in every detail.

Danny sat down in the sand between his twins and mused at the life he was living. If someone had told him even seven years ago he'd be married with five kids, he would have laughed in their face. It had been less than ten years ago that he'd scoffed at the idea of falling in love. Now he fallen not once but six times; With Lindsay, with Gio, with Fina, with Alex, with Aiden and, most recently, with little Anna, their surprise baby. He and Lindsay hadn't been planning to expand their family but when they found out Lindsay was pregnant they were excited. This pregnancy had been as easy as the first two and their daughter was just as perfect as the others.

The clouds which had been threatening seemed to grow darker in the blink of an eye and people headed for home. Danny scooped up the twins and headed for their stroller, calling to Gio and Fina as he did. They scurried over to him and the family headed home. They didn't manage to dodge the rain completely and ended up getting quite wet. Lindsay granted the two oldest their wish of playing outside in the rain until she saw lightning and called them inside.

Danny helped get all of the children into dry clothes. It was nap time for the three little girls, so they were lifted into their cribs one by one. The twins' reactions were night and day different. Alex, not wanting to miss out on anything fun, threw a fit, while Aiden lay down on her belly and put her thumb in 

her mouth, pulling the blanket close around her, ignoring Alex's cries and whining. Anna was already asleep in the room she shared with Fina.

"Daddy, Daddy!" Fina said, tugging his arm, "Come watch Mulan with us!" Danny could have laughed at the predictability of it all. Mulan was one of the only movies the two 'Italians' as his oldest children had been nicknamed, could agree on. They watched it almost every day. Fina liked it because of its heroine's fighting skill, and Gio loved the little wise-cracking dragon. Danny had liked the movie, the first dozen or so times he'd watched it. But he still sat down in the big easy chair and let Fina climb up into his lap. Gio curled up on the couch with his head in Lindsay's lap.

"We're supposed to go to your parent's tonight," Lindsay said, "They said they had some kind of surprise for us."

"Alright, I guess we should probably leave as soon as the movie's done, huh?" he asked. Lindsay nodded.

"You've got a sleeper," she said. Danny looked down to see that she was right. Fina looked so peaceful in her sleep, even though she bunched her fists up tight, a habit she'd had since she was a tiny baby. The movie finished and Fina was still sound asleep. She was the first one Danny carried out to the van. He came back inside for the twins, whom he somehow managed to carry at the same time without waking either of them, and Lindsay brought Anna. Gio was the last to buckle in, as he'd had to search for his book. They were soon on their way. As they crossed the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Lindsay could feel Danny getting more and more anxious. As much as he loved his parents, bringing the kids to the old neighborhood made him nervous. Adding to the tension was this surprise of his parents, which he could not predict at all. They pulled up in front of the house and Danny told Lindsay to stay with their still-napping kids until his mom answered the door.

"Danny!" his mother exclaimed, hugging him. She immediately looked around for the children. Danny laughed at her predictability.

"The girls are all sleepin', Ma," he said, his accent thickening. She immediately bustled out to help carry the little ones inside, clucking that Danny was going to spoil Fina when he refused to wake her up and make her walk inside on her own two feet. She cooed over little Anna and fussed over Lindsay.

"Ma," Danny said as soon as they had everyone inside, "You said you had a surprise?" His mother smiled and clapped her hands together excitedly. She rushed off into the kitchen and came back a few moments later. Her husband walked behind her, leading someone else alongside him. Danny felt the air leave his lungs in a startled gasp. There, standing in front of him, walking toward them, was his big brother, Louie Messer.

--

_Life is so ironic, isn't it? My muse deserted me for quite some time, only to come back when I don't have much time left to write… I'll do what I can, though and the one for when they've grown up is _

_really long already, but in serious need of editing. As for this one, I have some idea of the direction this is going, but not a full plan just yet. Ideas and inspiration are definitely welcome._


	2. Chapter 2

"Louie!" Danny exclaimed. He rose and hugged his brother. Louie seemed a little unsteady on his feet, but otherwise healthy.

"How did you get better so fast?" Danny asked. He looked back to Lindsay, who was pale, chocolate brown eyes wide. Her hand went to Gio's shoulder as if to assure herself that he was still there. Louie embraced Danny, then stood back to look his brother over.

"Trust me, it took too long for my taste," he joked, "You look good, D." Danny nodded humbly.

"You're not lookin' half bad yourself, Lou," he laughed. Danny felt a tug on his shirt and looked down to see Fina standing by his side, blue eyes bleary. Danny scooped her up into his arms, ignoring his mother's protests. The five year-old settled her head on his shoulder and looked out at Louie, simply observing.

"Angel Girl," Danny whispered, "This is your Uncle Louie. Lou, you've got to meet my family." Danny motioned to Lindsay to come closer, and she did, not taking her hand off of Gio's shoulder. As she came up next to Danny she pulled her son into half a hug, holding him to her side. Danny's hand on her back helped her relax but not let go of her son.

"Louie, my wife, Lindsay and our kids, Gio, Fina," he looked between the twins, "Alex and Aiden, wait, Aiden and Alex," he joked, switching between the two. Fina laughed.

"Nona has Alex and Aiden's on the couch next to Annie, silly Daddy," she giggled. Danny rubbed noses with her, and then turned back to Louie.

"The littlest one is Anna," he said, "She's three months."

"Gee whiz, D," Louie joked, "You're a busy man!" Louie walked cautiously over to the easy chair and sat down. Danny settled on the love seat with Fina in his lap and Lindsay opted for the couch, scooping Aiden onto her lap. Gio slipped into the next room with his grandfather, and Danny's mother walked back into the kitchen, taking little Alex with her.

"So Louie," Danny broke the silence, "How long have you been awake?"

"Two months, give or take," Louie said, "Pop said you was real busy wit' your new baby, said it'd be better if we didn't tell you. Thought we should surprise you."

"Well," Danny laughed, "You sure did that. What did the doctors say?"

"That I'm a miracle," Louie said, "But we all knew that already." His appearance was smug but his eyes held the same sparkle as his little brother's did when he was in a teasing mood. Danny sat and talked to his brother, finally making up for that day so many years ago. Fina grew bored and headed into the kitchen, Lindsay followed her, taking Aiden, but leaving Danny in charge of Anna.

The kitchen smelled of a delicious Chicken Parmesan. Alex was awake and perched on her grandmother's hip as the old woman moved around the kitchen, testing one thing, adding to another. Fina found the stepstool her grandfather had made especially for her and pulled it up to the counter.

"Nona, I want to help," she declared. The woman smiled down at her and handed her the bread and garlic butter mixture along with a butter knife, so she could make the garlic toast. Lindsay sat down at the table and snuggled Aiden close. She hadn't been this scared since the day Danny and Fina disappeared. Her stomach was tied up in knots. She felt a tear slip down her cheek.

"Mama, no cry," Aiden said, startling Lindsay. She blinked away the ears and forced a smile.

"Mama's okay, sweetheart," she said, stroking Aiden's baby soft blond curls. Danny's mother looked over and clucked again. It was no wonder Danny said his mother epitomized the Italian 'Mother Hen' stereotype. She crossed over and wrapped Lindsay in a hug.

"Don't you worry," she said, "It would take a fool to say that your Giovanni belongs anywhere else, and Mama Messer don't raise no fools." The Italian woman kissed her daughter-in-law on the top of her head and patted her cheek. Lindsay chuckled.

"Thank you," she whispered. She looked up to see Fina watching them inquisitively. Both mother and grandmother flashed the little one a reassuring smile and the happy-go-lucky child returned to her task. Lindsay smiled, shifted Aiden and stood.

"Anything I can do to help?" she asked.

"You help the little Angel with the bread and leave the rest to me," Mama Messer said. As strong of a country girl and a mother Lindsay was, when she was in Mama's kitchen, she was a kid again.

Dinner finally got on the table and the family gathered around the table. As one would expect from a large Italian family, it was noisy. The twins threw pasta at each other from their highchairs, and Lindsay could have sworn she saw Danny and Louie flicking burnt garlic bread edges at one another. Anna woke up halfway through dinner and decided to be fussy, so Danny lifted her from the carrier and settled her on his left arm and continued eating. Lindsay marveled at how much of a natural he was with all of their kids. She looked next to him at Gio, searching for the similarities she'd seen in the little boy's face since the day he'd come into her life. Now, all she could see was Louie. She saw him in the dark hair that was messily spiked and the dark eyes that looked at his broccoli with distaste. But then she smiled as the strategy she saw next was pure Danny. Gio took advantage of his father's distractions and slipped a single broccoli flower onto Danny's plate. Then he turned and added one to his grandmother's plate. He waited for his dad to eat the broccoli flower, then added another. He did the same with his grandmother's plate. Gio continued the pattern until the last piece, which he made a big deal of eating. Normally, Lindsay would have put a stop to it as soon as she noticed but tonight, she was feeling lenient.

After dinner, Mama Messer shooed Lindsay and the children out of the kitchen and into the living room. Lindsay let Alex and Aiden down to crawl around and play. Fina's immediate response was to play with them, she was determined to help them start walking. Gio sat for a little bit, before he 

convinced Fina to play checkers with him. She tromped him three games in a row, and they started to wrestle. Louie took in Gio's eight extra inches and five extra years.

"Aren't you afraid he's gonna hurt her?" he asked Danny. The CSI just laughed.

"Just watch," he said. Sure enough, when Fina had had enough, she used her martial arts training to gain the upper hand and pin Gio to the ground. Louie looked impressed.

"That one's got some fire in her," he said, "She'll make a good cop when she grows up."

"If that's what she wants," Lindsay asserted. Louie smiled at her. She was good for his little brother, Louie decided, smart, sweet, with a spark of her own.

"D, what's the deal with your kids?" Louie asked, musing over something he'd been wondering about all evening.

"What do you mean?" Danny asked.

"I mean, that your oldest one would have at least been well on the way before I went under. And I would have known if you had one on the way," Louie said, "Mama never stopped talking about her good son," Louie said. Lindsay reached out and grabbed Danny's hand for comfort as he took a deep breath.

"Louie, there's something you need to know about Gio."

--

_DunDunDuuuuh! I know, how mean of me! but It's 1 am and I have church in the morning. And this seemed like an appropriate place to end this little segment. Hope you like it!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Did you think I'd died? Sorry this one was so long in coming, my summer job was insane!_

--

Louie sat in silence as Danny explained how Gio had come to live with their family. During the time they were talking, Fina came over and curled up in her favorite place, her father's lap. Danny stroked her hair as her eyes slipped closed. Louie continued in silence, staring at Gio as the twins used him as a human jungle gym. Gio looked up and met Louie's eyes with a smile. Suddenly the loud crack of a gunshot rang out through the neighborhood. All five children were frightened, the three youngest started crying and Gio and Fina froze. Lindsay and Louie jumped down to comfort the children while Danny tightened his hold on Fina. Gio leapt as fast as he could into Lindsay's arms, clinging to her. She held him close to her shoulder and reached for the sobbing twins, pulling them into the shelter of her lap as well. Anna was soon calmed by her grandmother, who had laid claim to her the instant dinner was over.

Part of Louie wanted to grab Gio from Lindsay arms and protect him. The boy was his son, not Danny's, his. He'd messed up everything in his life, his job, his schooling, his criminal record, but this little boy, this son, could be his second chance. Besides, Danny and Lindsay had four other kids, what difference would one make to them, and one who wasn't even theirs besides?

The children had settled down by this time, and Gio had wiggled his way out of Lindsay's arms. The twins yawned and stretched, sleepily crawling down from Lindsay's lap, only to curl up facing each other on the floor and chatter softly as they fell asleep. Fina's eye drifted shut again and Danny and Lindsay decided to call it a night. Danny began by carrying Fina to the car, while Lindsay brought a twin and Gio brought the other. Nona Messer tucked Anna into the car and kissed all of her grandchildren and her son and daughter-in-law before they drove off into the night.

"Why didn't you tell me, Ma?" Louie asked as the pair stepped back inside.

"Tell you what, dear?" the woman asked.

"Gee Ma, maybe that I have a son?" Louie asked, a little impatient.

"Because you don't have a son," she said simply.

"Ma, Danny and Lindsay told me about Gio," he said.

"Louis Carl Messer, do you think that just 'cause you had a hand in givin' that little boy life that you're his Daddy," she said, "that little boy is your brother's son and if you try to take him away, you'll just end up undoing everything you got by getting beat to a pulp. That boy is his mama's rock and his daddy's pride and joy. Any fool can see that. And you know-"

"Mama Messer don't raise no fools," Louie finished for her. He excused himself from the conversation and headed up to his room, the same one he and Danny had shared as kids. He lay across 

the bed and stared up at the ceiling. In that moment he made his choice. But telling Danny would have to wait until tomorrow.

--

_Duh Duh Dun_

_What has Louie chosen? I guess you'll have to wait to find out!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A very quick little ending chapter to make up for my being gone for so long!_

--

Louie leaned against the streetlamp across from his brother's house and watched as the Messer children were bundled into the car by their father, presumably headed for school and daycare. First the twins, then Fina and lastly Anna and Gio. Gio came running out at the last minute with his shoes untied, laces flapping every which way. Louie saw him begin to fall before it happened, but a busy street stood in his way. Danny turned around in time to catch the boy, but was himself knocked backward and fell, cushioning Gio's fall. The pair laughed at their situation, and Danny took a moment to tickle Gio before setting him right and tying the boy's shoes. Louie smiled and knew in his heart that the decision he'd made was the right one. He slipped away as Danny noticed the note under his car windshield wiper.

_D-_

_He's yours._

_L_

--

_AN- Louie made the right choice!! Yay! Next stop… I'm thinking high school. Thoughts?_


End file.
